To a New Year
by serafina19
Summary: They had gone out of their way to spend New Year's alone, but it seemed that fate had different plans for Chloe and Oliver.


_Timeline: _If you can trust air-dates, Pandora was the last episode before New Year's in Season 9, so sometime around then.

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**To a New Year**

Looking outside, Oliver couldn't help but think that the weather matched the year that was about to end. It was fitting, for even though Oliver never objected to snow, and it was common here, Jack Frost seemed content with hitting Metropolis with a vengeance.

Town decorations were buried in snow, causing some to fall from their perches of street lights. The roads were empty, with the exception of the odd taxi driving five miles per hour. From what he could see inside the front door of his building, the downpour of sleet had stopped the normal rowdiness on the streets, besides a couple die-hards and a few people who needed a smoke break.

Taking a breath, he knew he had to brave the weather, lifting his hood over his head, making him just another body on the street. The precipitation pelted off his coat and he was almost tempted to put his head up, to take the beating without the armour, a few months ago he would have, but he kept going.

No one bothered him, another perk to the weather that had hit Metropolis lately, as Oliver could walk to Watchtower without a clichéd encounter of a girl wanting to start her year right, or some guy who wants to see if he could drink Oliver under the table. For years, holidays were usually excuses for these kinds of routines, most of which were his less than stellar ones.

For even on days when the world was saved, there were consequential ripple effects and his life seemed to be a bit of a beating ground. But he couldn't let it show, as on the surface, Oliver Queen was a man with everything. _Poor guy_, they'd say, mocking him, never knowing what he had given up nor the understandable reasons that he would drink himself to sleep. But those were things the world could never know, so Oliver decided to do the world a favour and stay in, to let the tabloids talk about someone else. He didn't believe that the coming year was magically going to be any better, but it could at least be different.

Oliver started early, giving his pilot the holidays off, followed by telling Lois he couldn't attend her and Clark's holiday celebration in Smallville. She would be disappointed, likely even worried, but they deserved a better time, and much better company than him. The past year's events were far from Oliver's brightest moments and he knew if he was around Clark, there would likely be more moments he regretted. It helped that he couldn't have driven there if he wanted to, as the highways were recently shut down.

That news also changed Oliver's original plan to kill time with some patrolling, as he had a sneaking suspicion that the only criminal activity that would occur was mass car murder into light poles or ditches. But he couldn't stay in the clocktower, not that Watchtower had better memories, but at home, it would be too easy to focus on dwelling about the past, and Oliver couldn't do that.

Oddly enough, the Kansas winter helped. Seeing his breath in the air in front of him, feeling the cold air on his lungs, it reminded himself of the loneliness that he pushed onto himself. This year, Oliver almost went out of his way to always save the world by himself, but it only resulted in more chaos. While things had settled to an extent, there was a new threat now and he didn't want a repeat of the Doomsday debacle.

Arriving at his destination, Oliver followed the normal protocol before waiting for the elevator to ascend. Start with some target practice, then get some solid work done. Maybe then Oliver could prove to himself first that there was a chance things could get better. Chloe had done her part, so it was time for Oliver to step up and take charge of his life again. That started with him being the leader they needed him to be and getting more in touch with the facets of the league's activities that he didn't normally supervise.

Walking through the double doors, Oliver immediately realized the lights were on, accompanied by the blonde who normally took residence here. "Chloe," he said, a small smile on his lips as he slipped his coat down his arms. "Figured you'd be in Smallville by now."

She could have told him the same thing as her fingers curled against the sides of the champagne bottle in her hand. When she noticed the clock hands getting closer to midnight, it was time to toast to her nightmare of a year ending, but not to a new beginning. No, Chloe knew better. All she hoped was that she could react better in the future, or if nothing else, there would be less dire consequences.

What had happened... she knew that she couldn't completely blame herself, but she was definitely more the problem than the solution. That was why she couldn't drive to Smallville, she had to celebrate alone, to remind her of how far she had once fallen, to remind herself that she couldn't do that again.

But when the computer alerted her of Oliver's presence in the elevator, Chloe actually froze, wondering what on earth would bring him here. "Lois told me that you were in Scotland."

Oliver shrugged. "I lied."

"Why?" Granted, it wasn't the lie that had Chloe asking that particular question. Oliver Queen is a person who could be anywhere in the world right now, but here... it made no sense.

However, Oliver saw it differently, as he replied, "Same reason that you're here, I'm assuming." Watchtower came with privacy, even escapism from some of the real world problems they faced, allowing them to shut down their stress and appreciate the silence. With that in mind, Oliver hoped it could help him find peace again, along with the proper steps to move forward.

Chloe chuckled as she set the bottle down, tearing off the metal that capped the top. "And Lois seriously bought the out-of-town line?"

"My phone's back at the clock tower, so who knows?" He had left a message after all, so he had no idea what Lois' true thoughts were. Then again, he tossed his phone on his bedside table over four hours ago and he hadn't looked at it since. "The highway just shut down... what's your excuse?"

Chloe was more than aware of that announcement, as with Lois still in the dark about Clark's ability, it meant that there was no way that she could get to Smallville safely once she 'accidentally' lost track of time working in Watchtower. "Not feeling well," she replied, "and my phone just died."

"Really?"

Rolling her eyes as she retrieved another glass for her company, Chloe realized that she wasn't fooling Oliver. "I may have turned it off once I sent a text to Lois." The rest of it was true though, as 'not feeling well' had more than one meaning. But she sold her best smile as she tilted the bottle towards Oliver. "Champagne?"

Alcohol was definitely on his mind, but he knew bubbly wasn't going to do the trick. "You have anything stronger?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes, as he was the one who kept this place stocked, but she ran with it. "I'd say that is a strong possibility. Mind if I have some?" After all, Chloe knew that his alcohol was better than anything she could afford and she didn't feel confident about opening the champagne bottle anyway.

As her glance moved in his direction, Oliver nodded, as it was clear that she needed it as much as he did. "Please."

After switching the alcohol, the glasses, Chloe carefully poured the scotch. It was likely worth more than what she made in a year, but Oliver wasn't objecting, so she kept going. Looking up, she noticed that he had come close enough to give him the glass without moving her feet. Sighing as she lifted her own drink off the table, Chloe held it out. "So... to a new year, I suppose?

"I think you're missing the 'happy' part of that phrase," Oliver remarked as they chinked their glasses. "But I'll drink to that." He was about to tip it back when he heard Chloe speak up.

"Good, because all I want is... " She felt her voice trail, as she knew how she planned to end that sentence, but Chloe held back.

Seeing how her expression had fallen, Oliver placed his drink back down, reaching out to take Chloe's other hand in his. Her surprised eyes perked up immediately, so he smiled at her. "All you want is to believe that things could ever get to the point where you're content." He playfully shrugged before adding, "I know the feeling."

She exhaled lightly, followed by a slight nod as she took in his words. "Yeah, you do."

Hearing the chanting in the background, Oliver glanced outside, surprised to hear the crowds braving the streets for the last ten seconds. "How about this?" he asked, taking his glass in his hand again before turning back towards Chloe. "To a step in the right direction."

Echoes of the final seconds were in Chloe's ear as she lifted her glass again. "Okay."

They chinked their glasses once more, this time they each took a sip of the scotch, looking at each other as the alcohol soothed their throats. The cheers and chants lasted a few minutes, but soon enough, they had worn off and silence returned to Watchtower once more.

Oliver looked over his shoulder, tempted to go back to his original plan, but he had a change of heart since seeing Chloe. He wasn't blind, as he knew just how hard she had been working lately. Seeing her here, on New Year's no less, reminded him of what she had sacrificed.

"Sorry I interrupted your private party," he said quietly.

"Well, if someone had to, I'm glad it was you." Chloe glanced towards him, seeing his skeptical eyes, but she meant every word. "You understand why I'm like this and you're not going to shove this idea that things will get easier, because they haven't and they won't."

As she walked away from him, Oliver looked down at his drink, knowing that the alcohol wasn't going to help anyone, so he set it down. "If you ever want to talk about it, you know that I'm here for you more as a friend than an employer."

"I know," Chloe said, falling back against the couch, her neck craning back as she stared at the ceiling, "but it's not easy."

"It doesn't help that I haven't been the best leader in the past few months." Oliver was almost tempted to tell her that she had done a better job of that lately than him, or at least thank her again, but he knew it wouldn't help. "We have to stick together this time though, to act like an actual team."

If he learned anything from the grim future that Clark had witnessed, it was that being a team was the only thing that kept them alive, even if it was short-term. Zod appeared to be quite the enemy and if they expected to win this time, they had to trust each other.

"Things _have _gotten better though," Oliver admitted as he sat next to her.

Chloe scoffed, as she barely prevented herself from rolling her eyes again. "Oh come on Ollie, not you too." Leaning forward, she took a large sip of the scotch and put the glass down. She was going to turn to him, tell him how fragmented things still were, but to her surprise, she felt his hand on her leg, causing Chloe to lose her words altogether.

Seeing her swallow hard as his hand lingered, Oliver pointed out that, "Things really couldn't have gotten worse." Chloe's head tilted slightly, but Oliver wasn't backing down just yet. "Lois is back, so is Clark, even if you likely want to punch him with kryptonite for abandoning you."

Out of all of the aftermath, it was the one regret that Oliver held onto. They had let Chloe down more than anyone because when she needed them, they left her alone. "Considering the whole 'Roulette' thing, I'm assuming that my wake-up call has been covered." He wished that he had put his own issues aside to help her in the past, but maybe now he could make up for that.

Letting herself grin, Chloe nodded. "All true." Peering up at Oliver, she added, "I suppose I did bring the team back and morale is getting back to normal."

Oliver nodded this time, moving his hands to encase hers. "When you can't get back everything you've lost, all you can hope for is the next best thing." Things may have been regained through unorthodox methods, but Oliver knew he could speak for the team in that they couldn't thank Chloe enough for what she had done.

But she was lost as she looked down at their hands. The compassion, strength and leadership were all part of the Oliver she remembered. This _is_ what she wanted to get out of Roulette situation. However, he had never been this... _close _to her. Even if she did save his life, this felt different and Chloe wasn't sure how to react to it.

Part of her wanted to believe that it was his charm, but she shrugged it aside. Oliver wouldn't mess with her on something like this; Chloe had worked too hard to get to this point. Yet that didn't stop her from noticing that this was the second time in a few months that Oliver held her hands like this and she wasn't fighting him.

Except last time, there was a table between them. Now, she could feel his breath on her ear and normally his proximity had no effect on her, but this time, Chloe was trying her hardest to repress a shiver.

_Get a grip, _she thought to herself, clearing her throat as she looks out in front of her. "So what happens now?"

As he retracts his hands, Oliver leaned back on the couch, replying simply, "We stay the course... take a step in the right direction."

"Subtle," Chloe said with a scoff, as that answer was easier said than done. After all, the mistakes they had made were all done with the right intentions. Furthermore, there were no guarantees that the future was going to be any better, especially considering Clark had taken different measures already.

"Well, there's not much else we can do."

That was true, she supposed, as she pushed herself back against the couch again, her eyes meeting Oliver's once more. If nothing else, she was glad to see Oliver was willing to do this again, to find a purpose to live again.

From there, they had found lighter conversation to talk about. They remained on the couch, reminiscing of the better times of the year that was, reminding each other that there _were _good times then. After awhile, the mask of their solemn moods began to lift, leaving them with a well-deserved break from the jobs they had to do.

Eventually, Oliver noticed Chloe drift off to sleep, so he let her. She really did overwork herself here, as Oliver had previously noticed the full garbage cans of coffee mugs from her vendor down the block. Coffee was a facet of her life, Oliver got that, but her actually taking time for herself, heck, even getting some sleep, was rare. This was probably the earliest she had gone to sleep she had in weeks. So that was a step in the right direction for her year.

As for him, Oliver could be content with his situation, even though he was tempted to chuckle as Chloe slipped down the couch, using Oliver's leg as a pillow. After all, he had just spent New Year's Eve with someone he trusted his life with, he would fall asleep with his clothes on tonight, yet still manage to wake up less alone than when he woke up the day before.

Knowing everything that he had done, Chloe never lost faith in him and she still felt relaxed in his presence. With that, Oliver closed his eyes, ready to greet the year that had recently arrived.

**~0~**

This was crazy, wasn't it?

She was resting her head on Oliver Queen's lap right now and he was letting her. Chloe knew that she had fallen asleep first, but Oliver could have let her sleep on the couch, as it would be far from the first time. She was about to move away from him, but he stirred first, causing Chloe to shut her eyes again, wondering what he would do next.

It ended up being the last thing she expected, as Chloe struggled to maintain her breathing as he touched his fingers to her hair. Yet as he delicately toyed with her loose curls, Chloe felt herself smile inside. But as quick as the contact came, Oliver pulled away, as even she knew he would have to leave eventually. It didn't take long for him to replace his lap for the pillow on the couch. Listening to the steps as they retreated from her, Chloe knew it was only a matter of time before Oliver left.

Except the double doors never opened.

Slowly opening her eyes, Chloe looked up, wondering what he was up to, not caring if he caught her or not.

**~0~**

Picking up the bag he had abandoned once he entered Watchtower, Oliver turned around to walk towards the new coffee machine he had recently bought Chloe, trying not to wake her as he tiptoed across the floor.

Inside the bag were some new coffees that he had picked up on his most recent business trip. He didn't drink the stuff, but he couldn't get Chloe out of his head when he saw them, so he picked her up some to try. If she liked it, then he'd stock the kitchen full so she didn't have to venture out to her coffee vendor late at night when the streets weren't safe. Chloe likely would anyway, as the girl attracted trouble, but if he could do something that would help keep her safe, then Oliver would take the necessary steps.

Opening one of the bags, Oliver knew that at this point, he had to make some noise. If there was to be freshly ground coffee when Chloe woke up, he had to grind the beans... and their grinder wasn't exactly quiet.

He glanced at his watch, realizing just how long they both had slept there on the couch. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the on button and sure enough, the moment he finished, Oliver heard rustling behind him. But he kept with his job, as he wasn't quite done yet, but by the time the coffee began to brew, Oliver turned to find Chloe standing before him.

"You're still here," Chloe remarked, feeling silly for saying it, as she had been listening the entire time. She thought he had caught her once, but she disappeared behind the couch, burying her face in the pillow out of embarrassment. There was no reason for her to continue faking being asleep, yet she remained there for a few minutes until she heard the coffee grinder. She knew Oliver didn't drink coffee, so her curiosity got the best of her.

"Disappointed?"

Chloe shook her head, but paused in her step when she noticed the new coffee bags on the counter. "Oliver, you didn't –"

"Have to?" Oliver interjected, knowing where that sentence would end. "I wanted to." Turning back, he poured the mug full before giving it to Chloe. Seeing the way she took the scent in, Oliver considered that mission accomplished.

"I'll, uh, let you get back to your work," he said, rubbing the back of his neck before heading towards the door. Pausing there, Oliver shook his head lightly, ensuring that he added, "But Chloe... don't work too hard today okay?"

There was a pause in the air, not that it surprised him, but once he opened the door, he heard from behind him. "I'll try."

Smirking as he headed towards the elevators, Oliver slipped his coat over his shoulders, not knowing how much the storm persisted overnight. Once the ding rang in the corridor, Oliver stepped in immediately, but he reached out to keep the door open once he heard his name called out from behind him. He turned his head to the side, seeing Chloe know standing in the hallway, the coffee cup still gripped in her hand. She took a couple breaths, smiling again once their eyes met.

"Happy New Year," she said confidently, correcting her previous toast. For Oliver was right, it was time for a different mentality, to keep moving forward.

Oliver returned the smile, lifting his hand that kept the elevator door open. "Happy New Year." As the door shut, Oliver took note of how great it felt to see Chloe smile again. Thinking about the past twelve hours, Oliver couldn't remember the last time he had seen her smile that many times. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he had been this... content.

Once the elevator reached the lobby, Oliver stood there, confused as to why he was walking away right now.

**~0~**

Once the door shut, it was back to business for Chloe, as there was plenty of work to do. However, that didn't stop her from filling up her mug, as the coffee was incredible as usual. It seemed to be Oliver's thing lately, as he clearly knew her weakness and he ensured that Watchtower was well-stocked.

It didn't stop Chloe from venturing outside Watchtower to her favourite coffee-cart because she needed the fresh air to clear her head. Besides, at the rate Bart or Clark had been bringing her coffee lately, she hardly had to go out at all. But none of those compared to the blends Oliver would bring back from his trips. This particular vanilla coffee awoke Chloe's senses immediately and she downed the first cup pretty quickly, which is why she made a quick note to herself to savour the next cup.

But before she could get a chance to sip it again, the double doors opened. "Oliver?" She whirled around, just barely avoiding spilling her coffee as she caught sight him once more. Except this time, she hadn't even heard Watchtower announce his presence... and she was even more confused as to why he was here.

"Queen Industries offices are closed for the day," Oliver pointed out, but that wasn't the reason he came back. He came to Watchtower for a reason last night and he hadn't followed through yet. "It's about time I learned just how much work you do around here." Maybe then he could help her more when Victor wasn't around to help with the tech-related stuff. Or at least understand one of her future techno-rants.

Chloe's eyebrows furrowed at his request, as it had been awhile since she had seen Oliver behind the controls of any league database. "Do you even know how to work Watchtower?"

Oliver wasn't deterred the slightest, shrugging off his coat once more to stand in front of the main console. "I know the basics and that's why you're here to help me right?"

Unconsciously putting down her coffee cup, Chloe walked over to stand next to him. This wasn't what she had expected, but she wasn't about to argue with it either. "Alright, let's get started."

As they worked next to each other, there was the odd bump in the road as Oliver worked through Watchtower's database, but Chloe had to admit, this was the most fun she had since becoming Watchtower. Looking at Oliver as he continued to type away, she thought to herself how there just might a chance that Oliver was right. Maybe the journey to the so-called 'next best thing' wasn't so bad after all.

**~End~**

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_Sera's Scribbles: It's early, but Happy New Year everyone!_**  
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